Dangerous medicines worth £100,000 on the black market have been seized in Northern Ireland as part of an international operation.

Tens of thousands of illegally imported and unauthorised medicines were discovered as part of Operation Pangea IX, which ran from May 30 to June 7.

The international operations involved 103 countries and was aimed at disrupting the illicit online sale of medicines as well as raising awareness of the significant health risks associated with buying medicines online from illegal websites.

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Health Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “The risk to the public due to illegal or counterfeit medicines is very real. This problem is not something we can tackle in isolation and my Department is committed to working with other agencies to stop the supply of illegal medicines over the internet.

“Operation Pangea IX has involved the co-ordinated efforts of a number of agencies including the Police, Customs and medicines enforcement officers from my Department, who will continue to be diligent all year round in their efforts and are determined to combat this serious problem.

“The type of collaborative work well demonstrated by Operation Pangea, has led to the interception and seizure of many illegal medicines destined for addresses throughout the north. The truth is that this might very well save lives, as sadly, young people are often unaware of the potentially fatal consequences of taking these unprescribed drugs, particularly when taken with alcohol.”

4,932 websites identified as being engaged in illegal activity were shut down

334,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs authorities, of which, 170,340 were seized.

Professor Mike Mawhinney, Head of Medicines Regulatory Group, Department of Health said: “People should take prescription only medicines in consultation with their GP, pharmacist or other healthcare professionals who have access to patient health records and can take into account the risks and benefits associated with every medicine. Medicines obtained through unregulated internet sites may not have been prescribed by a healthcare practitioner, may not have been subject to the normal controls on manufacture and may not be of a suitable quality or be of the nature described.

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“We urge the public not to be tempted by what look like cut prices or fooled by professional looking websites offering medicines without prescription. Taking short cuts and using these medicines could expose you to a dangerous counterfeit or substandard medicine and, additionally, you could also be the victim of identity theft or credit card fraud”

Peter Moore, Senior Medicines Enforcement Officer, added: “Participation in this Operation is part of our continuing efforts to reduce the harm that can be caused to the Northern Ireland public by those making use of the internet to commit crime or source their medicines.

"The operation has shown that the illicit medicines recovered were destined for addresses throughout Northern Ireland leaving none of our communities immune from the dangers presented by drugs like these.”